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By Brad Cook “In my opinion, storytelling is one of the most important elements in game design,” says Marc Tardif, project manager at Gearbox Software, which brought Bungie’s popular console game Halo to home computers as Halo: Combat Evolved; MacSoft is the publisher of the Mac version. |
“Unlike films and books,” Tardif continues, “games allow the user to become part of the story and seemingly influence how it unfolds. When designers put equal emphasis on gameplay and story — as was the case with Halo — the result is often a form of entertainment that can rival books or films in terms of immersiveness.”
Halo continues Bungie’s legendary mastery of storytelling in games, which started with the beloved Marathon series. Intriguing sub-text pulses beneath the surface. Vital information is parceled out in cinematic cut-scenes that rival Hollywood’s best, leaving you in awe — and eager to learn more. Characters display visceral emotions. The music, with an almost tribal feel keeps pace with the action, becoming more intense during dramatic moments.
Hog Wild. Hop in the Warthog with a Marine or two and take out some Covenant forces.
The Back-Story
Halo isn’t a person. It isn’t a device or a weapon. Halo is a place, a mysterious ring with secrets that could unlock humanity’s salvation.
That’s the setting of MacSoft’s eponymous first-person shooter. In the year 2552, mankind has eased Earth’s overpopulation by placing colonies on other planets, thanks to the invention of faster-than-light starship drives. Thirty-two years earlier, however, all contact was lost with a colony called Harvest. When the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) dispatched a fleet to investigate, only one badly damaged ship limped home, its crew telling of vicious aliens that had mercilessly annihilated everyone else.
These aliens were the Covenant, a confederacy of various races brought together by their fanatical religious devotion. They viewed humanity’s existence as an affront to their gods, prompting them to declare war. In response, the UNSC military base on the planet Reach developed a cyborg super-soldier program called SPARTAN-II that they hoped could be humanity’s secret weapon. UNSC leaders devised a plan to infiltrate a Covenant ship with a group of SPARTAN-II soldiers and learn the location of the aliens’ home world.
As the game begins, Covenant forces attack Reach and destroy the military base before the mission can launch. Only one ship, the Pillar of Autumn, escapes the carnage with the last living SPARTAN-II, a soldier named Master Chief, played by you, of course. And when the Pillar of Autumn meets its demise near Halo, you must lead the last surviving Marines to the ring and discover its secrets before the Covenant can.
Lead the Way. Watch for arrows on the ground that show you where to go.
Stuff to Shoot, Stuff to Fly and Drive
Halo is home to a variety of environments, from chilly snow slopes to murky jungles, that you encounter as you make your way through 10 expansive levels. You start the game with the standard Marine-issue pistol and rifle, but along the way you pick up a sniper rifle, a shotgun, a rocket launcher, and more. In addition, you have the opportunity to grab more powerful plasma weapons from dead Covenant troops. You can only carry two guns at a time, though, so you’ll have to plan wisely when confronted with choices.
You can also jump into vehicles, both air and ground, from time to time and use them to take out enemy forces. The Covenant uses a stationary gun that you can man and unleash some heavy plasma bursts. The Marines’ Scorpion tank also boasts serious firepower and their Warthog, an all-terrain jeep, can carry up to two passengers, so make sure you let a couple grunts hop in before you roll out.
If you liked this game, check out:
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Red Faction Return to Castle Wolfenstein Unreal Tournament 2003 World War II Online
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Note: Halo is no longer available from MacSoft, however you may still be able to find it at your local retail store.
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Halo: Combat Evolved Media | |
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“I love the battle in the Silent Cartographer level because I get to position my Warthog in an advantageous vantage point with a Marine manning its machine gun and another in the passenger seat, armed with rockets,” says Peter Tamte, president of MacSoft and a former Bungie executive. “Then I hop out and flank the Covenant guarding the beach while my Marines send a barrage of metal and rockets at the enemy from the Warthog.”
Fly the Unfriendly Skies. Take to the air in a Banshee and use the Covenant’s own craft against them.
Teamwork (Or Not)
Of course, no Bungie game would be complete without a wide variety of multiplayer that go well beyond body count. Compete against either Mac or PC players as you hop in a Warthog and race others; remember that you can use its weapons to knock them out of contention. Try different variations on the usual capture the flag, deathmatch and king of the hill games. There are more than two dozen types of multi-player games in all and you can modify them by altering the variables for a change of pace.
Gearbox worked with Bungie to add six new multiplayer maps as well as new weapons and vehicles to the entire game. The latter created interesting wrinkles in multiplayer dynamics.
For example, notes Tardif, “adding the Banshee [flying craft] to multiplayer created a new dimension in the game. Players are no longer limited to land vehicles, so now that the game has threats from the sky, an entirely new approach to offense and defense is required.
“And the addition of the Shade turret enables teams to set up defenses. They promote better teamwork by encouraging players to stay at their bases and defend while others go on the offensive.”
Don’t Tread on This. All your favorite FPS multi-player modes, including Capture the Flag, are here.
Beyond the Game
Like any good sci-fi story, Halo is just the beginning of what Hollywood loves to call a franchise. As you read this, Bungie is hard at work on Halo 2, and you can learn more about the adventures of Master Chief and UNSC’s struggles against the Covenant in three novels published by Random House (enter “halo” in the Title field on the search screen). With so many games becoming movies, could Halo, which already sports a cinematic feel, be the next to reach the silver screen?
“Halo has all the makings of a summer blockbuster,” enthuses Tardif. “It has plenty of action, cool aliens, crazy weapons, and purple cyber chicks. I’d have Bruce Campbell do the voice of Master Chief.”
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